Persona 5 on Playstation 3

Persona 5 (Japanese: ペルソナ5 Hepburn: Perusona Faibu) is a role-playing video game developed by Atlus for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 video game consoles. Persona 5 is chronologically the sixth installment in the Persona series, which is part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise. Published by Atlus in Japan and North America and by Deep Silver in Europe and Australia, the game was released first in Japan in September 2016, and worldwide in April 2017. In Western regions, Persona 5 was the first main game in the series since Persona 2: Eternal Punishment to omit the Shin Megami Tensei moniker.

Persona 5 takes place in Tokyo, and follows a silent protagonist after their transfer to the fictional Shujin Academy after being put on probation for an assault he was falsely accused of. During the course of a school year, he and other students awaken to their Persona powers, become masked vigilantes dubbed the "Phantom Thieves of Hearts", and explore the supernatural Palace realm to steal ill intent from the hearts of adults. As with previous titles in the series, the party does battle with supernatural enemies using manifestations of their psyche called Personas. The game incorporates role-playing elements and dungeon exploration alongside social simulation scenarios.

Preparatory work began around the same time as the development of Persona 4, with full development beginning after the release of Catherine in 2011. Returning prominent staff from previous games included director and producer Katsura Hashino, character designer Shigenori Soejima, and composer Shoji Meguro. The game's themes revolved around attaining freedom from the limitations of modern society; the story was strongly inspired by picaresque fiction, and the party's initial Personas were based around the theme of outlaws. First announced in 2013, the game was delayed from its original late 2014 release date so its quality could be further improved. Persona 5 was met with critical acclaim upon its release, with many deeming to be one of the greatest Japanese role-playing games of all time.